Church Fathers Commentary Luke 8:16-18

"And no man, when he hath lighted a lamp, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but putteth it on a stand, that they that enter in may see the light. For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor [anything] secret, that shall not be known and come to light. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he thinketh he hath." — Luke 8:16-18 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: Having previously said to his apostles, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables, he now shows that through them, this same mystery must eventually be revealed to others, saying, No man when he has lighted a candle covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed.

Eusebius of Caesarea: It is as if he said: Just as a lamp is lit so that it gives light, not so that it can be covered by a bushel or a bed, so also the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, when spoken in parables, although hidden from those who are strangers to the faith, will not, however, appear obscure to everyone.

Therefore, he adds, For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither any thing hid that shall not be known, and come abroad. It is as if he said: Although many things are spoken in parables—that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand—because of their unbelief, yet the whole matter will be revealed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, with these words he figuratively presents the boldness required for preaching, so that no one, out of fear of bodily harm, should hide the light of knowledge. Under the symbols of a vessel and a bed, he represents the flesh; under the symbol of a lamp, he represents the word. Whoever keeps the word hidden out of fear of physical troubles places the flesh itself before the revelation of the truth and, in doing so, as it were, covers the word because he is afraid to preach it.

But a person places a candle on a candlestick who so submits his body to the service of God that the preaching of the truth is held in the highest regard, while the service of the body is held in the lowest.

Origen of Alexandria: But the one who would adapt his lamp for the more mature disciples of Christ must convince us with the words spoken about John, for he was a burning and a shining light. It is not fitting, then, for the one who lights the lamp of reason in his soul to hide it under a bed where people sleep, or under any vessel. Whoever does this does not provide for those who enter the house for whom the candle is prepared; rather, they must set it on a candlestick, which is the whole Church.

St. John Chrysostom: With these words, he leads them to live diligently, teaching them to be strong, as they are exposed to the view of all people and fighting in the world as if on a stage. It is as if he said: Do not think that you live in a small part of the world, for you will be known by everyone, since it is impossible for such great virtue to remain hidden.

St. Maximus the Confessor: Or perhaps the Lord calls himself a light shining for all who inhabit the house—that is, the world—since he is God by nature but, through the divine plan, was made flesh. And so, like the light of a lamp, he abides in the vessel of the flesh by means of the soul, just as the light in a lamp's vessel shines by means of the flame.

By “the candlestick,” he describes the Church, over which the divine Word shines, illuminating the house, as it were, with the rays of truth. But under the symbol of a vessel or a bed, he referred to the observance of the Law, under which the Word cannot be contained.

The Venerable Bede: But the Lord does not cease teaching us to listen to his word, so that we can both constantly meditate on it in our minds and also bring it forth for the instruction of others. Therefore, it follows: Take heed therefore how you hear; for whosoever has, to him shall be given.

It is as if he is saying: Pay attention with all your mind to the word that you hear, for to the one who has a love for the word, the ability to understand what he loves will also be given. But whoever has no love for hearing the word, even if he considers himself skillful from natural genius or the practice of learning, will have no delight in the sweetness of wisdom.

For often the lazy person is gifted with abilities so that, if he neglects them, he may be more justly punished for his negligence, since he disdains to know what he could obtain without effort. And sometimes the studious person is burdened with a slowness to comprehend, so that the more he labors in his inquiries, the greater his reward may be.